Photo: SWNS
Two cyclists have smashed a Guinness World Record for largest GPS drawing to raise funds for charities – by spelling out ‘Refugees Welcome’.
Georgie Cottle, 26, and David Charles, 29, cycled more than 2,400km to raise money for the refugees’ charity Choose Love, beating the previous record of 761km.
The kind-hearted duo broke the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (team) when they cycled 1,100km to spell out the word ‘Refugees’.
They completed the phrase by spelling out ‘Welcome’ by cycling 1,200km – a feat they completed in Dover on Saturday.
The pair, part of a community of cyclists who take on annual challenges called Thighs Of Steel, were sparked into gear by Priti Patel’s controversial Nationality and Borders Bill.
David, 39, said: “We spoke to hundreds of people over the course of the ride and not one person ever said that the UK shouldn’t or couldn’t be doing more to welcome refugees.
“Without a doubt, that was the standout highlight for us and totally revived our faith in humanity.
“The lowest point of the ride was definitely the knee pain.
“Luckily, we had the generosity of all our hundreds of donors and messages from countless supporters online to keep us pushing up and over no less than three Everests’ worth of hills.”
Georgie, from Glasgow, and David, from Bournemouth, started the ride on August 17 in St Austell, Cornwall, and were joined by more than 50 other fundraising cyclists across their month-long trek.
Their trek across the south coast has raised more than £54,000 for grassroots refugee projects that Choose Love support.
The charity helps to provide support such as rescue boats, food and legal advice to refugees and displaced people around the world.
To cap of their feat, the duo’s Guinness World Record witness book was signed by a family of refugees recently arrived from Syria.
Georgie, 26, said: “The adrenalin rush as our peloton of whooping cyclists swooped down the clifftop road into Dover was utterly joyful.
“The moment was made even more special by the welcome we got from a family of refugees recently arrived from Syria, who clapped and cheered and signed our official Guinness World Record witness book.
“We were completely blown away by the kindness and hospitality of strangers.
“We started Saturday’s ride – the final ‘e’ of Welcome – from the village of Wye in Kent.
“ Local resident Sue Powell organised for the Tickled Trout pub to open its doors at 8am and the landlord prepared tea, coffee and orange juice for 25 cyclists.
“Sue had also put up posters and mustered a crowd of villagers to cheer us on our way – and baked a huge cake to power us through the day.”
Related: A year on: Condemnation as ‘squalid’ barracks STILL used to house asylum seekers
